People and Pop Culture

NASCAR Thursday announced a number of hires and changes to its Integrated Marketing Communications team. IMC named SEAN DOHERTY Digital & Content Communications Dir, TRACEY JUDD Racing Operations Communications Dir, AMANDA ELLIS Senior Manager of Competition Communications, KATEY HAWBAKER Manager of Competition Communications, STEPHANIE ACKERMAN Manager of Stakeholder Communications, and ASHLEY MITCHELL Coordinator of Content Communications. JOHN FARRELL, who has worked for NASCAR in licensing and publishing for five years, will also shift to IMC Content Communications (NASCAR).

EXECS: The Dolphins promoted BRIAN GAINE to Assistant GM. Gaine previously served as the Dolphins Assistant Player Personnel Dir from '08-10 before being promoted to Player Personnel Dir in April '11 (Dolphins)....NYRA named former MSG and NFL Giants exec RODNELL WORKMAN VP & CMO (NYRA)….Startup venture Comcast SportsNet Houston has named FS Houston Exec Producer MURPHY BROWN Exec Producer & VP/Production, effective July 9. Brown in '83 helped launch Houston's Home Sports Entertainment (CHRON.com, 6/28)....The Blues promoted BRUCE AFFLECK to COO, replacing MIKE MCCARTHY, who resigned last month. Affleck will be in charge of the business side of the Blues, including Scottrade Center (STLTODAY.com, 6/29)....The NCAA Men's Basketball Committee named Big East Associate Commisioner DAN GAVITT VP/Men's Basketball Tournament. Gavitt is the son of late Basketball HOFer and Big East Founder DAVE GAVITT (ESPN.com, 6/28)....WWE named CASEY COLLINS Exec VP/Consumer Proudcts (WWE)....The Oilers named RICK CARRIERE Senior Dir of Player Development. Carriere takes over for BILLY MOORES, who is retiring (Oilers)....The Univ. of Denver named JEFF HOWARD Senior Associate AD for External Relations, effective July 1 (DU)....The Dodgers named MICKEY HATCHER Special Assistant to the GM (Dodgers)....AHEAD named SCOTT STONE National Sales Manager, Golf (AHEAD)....NBA Senior VP/Referee Operations Major General RONALD JOHNSON has resigned, effective at the end of July (NBA).

In DC, Adam Kilgore noted in the days after Nationals LF BRYCE HARPER said, "That's a clown question, bro" in response to a Canadian reporter, Denver Beer Co. "brewed a small, special batch of Canadian lager and named it, 'Clown Question Bro.'" Earlier this week when the Nationals arrived in Denver for a series with the Rockies, Harper "learned from local news reports about the killing of Officer Celena Hollis, a veteran policewoman who was raising a 12-year-old daughter on her own." Harper had "recommended Denver Beer Company donate a chunk of the proceeds to a memorial fund that will support Hollis's daughter." Brewery co-Owner Charlie Berger said that the brewery "will act on Harper's idea and donate to the Celena Hollis Memorial Fund" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/28).

GIRL POWER: In honor of Girls Scouts of the USA's centennial celebration, Nestle Crunch on Thursday revealed the names of five current and former female athletes who will each design a limited-edition Girl Scout patch, to be auctioned online with proceeds benefiting Girl Scouts of the USA. Athletes include U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning gymnast SHAWN JOHNSON, U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning basketball player LISA LESLIE, track & field athletes FUNMI JIMOH and CHAUNTE HOWARD-LOWE, as well as U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning swimmer DANA VOLLMER (Nestle).

COURT REPORT: In Detroit, Zlati Meyer noted the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky., “is suing Park West Gallery over the Southfield-based art gallery's donation of 182 pieces of artwork, six of which allegedly don't carry the famed boxer's authentic autograph.” In the lawsuit, the museum “asks the court to make AMELIA and ALBERT SCAGLIONE, who own the gallery, take back the entire collection or let the Ali Center retain the donation without the conditions that had been agreed upon -- both of which the gallery has refused to do” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 6/28)....On Long Island, John Riley reports California resident IRVING SCHEIB Thursday pleaded guilty to wire fraud for attempting to sell a baseball glove he claimed Baseball HOFer BABE RUTH "kept under his pillow at a Baltimore orphanage and later gave to 1940s movie actor ROBERT YOUNG." Scheib, who is married to Young’s granddaughter, “bought the 19th century ‘Full Web Workman Baseball Mit’ on eBay in January for $750, knowing that it had no Ruthian pedigree” (NEWSDAY, 6/29).

NAMES: Sixty fans spent $500 to play softball at Citi Field with former MLBers DARRYL STRAWBERRY and DWIGHT GOODEN, with the proceeds going to the Fisher House Foundation, which supports military members and their familes (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/29)….Red Sox GM BEN CHERRINGTON and his wife, TYLER TUMMINIA, will celebrate their April 6 marriage with another ceremony for family and friends on Sept. 15 in upstate New York (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/29)….Red Sox Owner JOHN HENRY and his wife LINDA, Chair TOM WERNER, President & CEO LARRY LUCCHINO and his wife STACEY, Vice Chair DAVID GINSBERG, Senior Advisor Dr. CHARLES STEINBERG and former MLBer PEDRO MARTINEZ Thursday attended the opening of Boston’s Empire Asian Restaurant & Lounge (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/29)….Yankees SS DEREK JETER celebrated his 38th birthday Wednesday night at N.Y.’s Southern Hospitality restaurant. Jeter was joined by Yankees CF CURTIS GRANDERSON, LF ANDRUW JONES, actor KEVIN CONNOLLY, Knicks F CARMELO ANTHONY, entertainer SEAN COMBS and rapper BLACK ROB (NYPOST.com, 6/28).